Hidden Hogwarts
by Cringey Claire
Summary: Hogwarts abounds with hidden passageways, trick tapestries, and unbelievable 'alive-ness'. Our favorite characters and their friends are not the only ones to have ever found a secret or two.
1. The Staircase to Nowhere

Kacey looked around. When had she been separated from her friends? She sighed and tried to figure out where she was, the typical routine. She thought that she was in the west fifth-floor corridor that led to the Astronomy tower, but she wasn't sure. As she continued to try to regain her bearings, she sighed to herself. This was the third time this week! At least during the other times, she hadn't been so lost that her friends hadn't found her after a few minutes. This time, though, she wasn't sure.

The Hufflepuff tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear and decided to walk down the corridor. She'd get to the great hall eventually, right?

Her witch hat charms jingled as she walked and her bag banged against her side. Kacey started to get a headache thinking about the immense stack of transfiguration homework that she'd have to do once she finally got back to the common room. Her stomach rumbled and her feet hurt. Why did this castle have to be so _big_?

She finally appeared to have reached a dead end. Kacey was upset. All this walking for a dead end? Like, not cool!

She drearily slumped on the floor against the wall and looked at the ceiling. The rafters were gorgeous, of course, as this was _Hogwarts_ , but this gave her no solace. She figured that while she had the time, she would do her homework, so she pulled it out of her bag with her quill and ink and set to work.

A few minutes later, she noticed that she was famished and set down her stuff. She really wanted to get to the great hall for dinner, and soon, so she decided to have another go at locating herself. She put her stuff up again and stood up. When she looked to her left, she noticed a staircase with a light coming from above.

A light? Maybe there was a classroom with a teacher in it where she could ask directions.

Kacey hoisted her bag on her shoulder and started up the staircase. After a few minutes of walking, she became confused. This staircase was _really_ long! Finally, she got to the top and found… a window. The staircase literally led to a window. Out the window Kacey could see the lake, the forbidden forest, and a lot of the roof. The astronomy tower seemed to be on the complete opposite side of the castle. Any recognizable part of the castle was far away from where the girl was.

 _Well_ that's _helpful._ Kacey thought to herself. She was so tired from climbing the stairs that she sprawled out on the ground and gave up.

She woke up in the same spot, not having realized that she had fallen asleep. Sitting up and blinking furiously, she looked out the window. The sun dipped to just over the forbidden forest and its light glittered on the lake. _Oh, no._ The third-year thought. What a time to fall asleep she had completely missed her afternoon classes and dinner was probably about to start!

Kacey looked back out the window. _Well,_ Kacey thought. _If the astronomy tower is over there, then… I must be on the sixth floor! The classrooms on the fifth floor are muggle studies, alchemy, and arithmacy. Rebecca is taking muggle studies, and says that she always forgets to turn left at the staircase, so if I go downstairs and find the staircase, I can turn left and find the teacher!_

The Hufflepuff took one last look out the window and thought the view was wonderful. Maybe, on a weekend, she would come back up here with friends and a picnic lunch. Maybe. She rushed down the stairs, eager to get to dinner.


	2. The Shrinking Room

The Hidden Secrets of Hogwarts Ch. 2: The shrinking room.

 **A/N: I've noticed that this is basically the same format (Literally – exactly the same! DX) as the previous chapter, but am too lazy to fix it. I've also noticed that I use an excessive amount of italics. Whatever.**

Helen Parker huffed as she looked into yet another loud classroom. _Where_ was she supposed to do her homework? The library was packed full, she couldn't do her homework in the common room, and all of the empty classrooms that she had found were full of chattering students. That was the problem with rainy days. _Everyone_ just _had_ to do their menial tasks such as social communication _inside._ (And their homework)

Unbidden, a feeling of sadness came over her at the thought of studying with friends. She couldn't, because – no! Those feelings would not come up! It wasn't her fault, anyway. Still, she walked a little faster. That was a mistake.

Her uncoordinated legs decided to connect with each other and send her and her books sprawling out on the cold, hard floor. Her items flew out of her bag and slid towards the wall. Helen sat up and dusted herself off, trying hard not to cry. She was alone, fell over, had nowhere to study, and she was pretty sure that the suit of armor against the wall beside her was laughing at her.

After she collected herself, she looked for her bag and books… which were nowhere to be seen. She took off her glasses and scrubbed at them, then replaced them on her face. The books were still gone!

"AGH!" she cried out in frustration. _Nothing_ was going right and it was all _their_ fault! Then, being a Ravenclaw, she tried to think rationally.

'Okay, so this is Hogwarts. My books could have fallen into the floor, behind a tapestry, or disappeared or something. I should look around, because I really don't want to write that 6 – foot transfiguration essay again.'

So, the girl felt on the floor for some sort of lever, indentation, or clue. She realized that she might look right crazy, feeling on the floor for something that probably wasn't there, but she couldn't give up on the transfiguration essay, and Arithmancy books are expensive. Once her hand reached the wall, it _disappeared_! She quickly pulled it away and it came back. Her books were probably there.

Helen pushed her hand against the wall again, but more cautiously. It disappeared again. She pushed her whole arm in, then her legs, then the rest of her body. She was inside. When she looked behind her, she saw that the corridor was ginormous! The suit of armor across the hall was a super-sized, shiny, silver wall. Every speck of dust on the floor was the size of a person and the ceiling was miles away. 'Cool,' she thought, and she turned back to her task.

Her books lay on the floor in front of her, as if nothing had happened. Ink was pooled in her bag – her holder must have shattered. She cleaned up the mess, then gathered everything in her bag and prepared to get out. She could show this place to Jesse and Samantha, and… wait.

She didn't want to back to them after the incident, right? Then why couldn't she stop thinking about apologizing? It wasn't even her fault. The hurt was too fresh.

Instead of leaving, Helen decided that this was the perfect place to study. She was away from the rest of the idiots of the school and it was quiet.

Helen took her stuff back out of her bag and started to study once more. She saw that ' _bicorn_ ' was spelled wrong in the textbook, and looked up to comment to her friends on it… but was reminded once again that she was studying alone. It truly struck her that she wasn't speaking to her only friends in the whole school – her best friends that she had known for four years, ever since she was sorted into Ravenclaw. She resolved that she had to make up to them right then and there, and show them this great mini study room.

The determined fourth-year gathered her belongings once more and stepped out of the tiny hole in the wall. She was once again normal-sized and free to run back to the common room, where redemption (and maybe some friends) were waiting for her.

The End


End file.
